Hidden Beauty
by Marblez
Summary: Origionally called Beauty Is Not Skin Deep. Jared manages to convice a scared girl that she is beautiful...


Disclamer: I don't own the main people but I do own Kailtin. I used Poole which is where I go to sea cadets because it was the first place to pop into my head ok?

Hidden Beauty

Northumberland, England, 2020 AD

The dragon's were gone and people were coming out of hiding all around the world, trying to rebuild their lives to resemble what it had been before the Dragon's had come. Although everyone knew it would never be.

People from all around were coming to see the man who had killed the male dragon, the man who ended it all. One such group was from Poole. They arrived at midday, twelve of them, all a sorry state to look at. Thin, ragged, their clothes in shreds. And yet they had an air of success around them, and not just because the war was over.

They were greeted as friends and given a place to pitch any tents they had. They joined the others in their evening business, playing games and drinking alcohol. Only one of the twelve did not mingle and it was a girl who hid in the shadows. Jared noticed her when no one else did and went over.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"I'm fine, just not a sociable person, that's all," she said quietly, keeping well into the shadows.

"Neither am I, but you must want to meet some of our people?" Jared suggested.

"I've met you, isn't that enough?" she asked, moving her hand up to push her hair back. As she did it passed through the light he saw cuts and burns, as well as bruises. "I don't really want to meet people anyway. I didn't want to leave Poole."

"So why did you?" Jared could just make out that she had a hood on and a large coat covering most of her.

"I didn't want to be left behind, if they had run into any of the dragon's left they would have needed me," she said.

"My names Jared," Jared said holding his hands out for a shake.

"Kaitlin," she didn't move to take his hand.

"Why wont you come into the light?" Jared asked.

"I never come out in the light unless I'm fighting Dragon's," Kaitlin said coldly. Jared flinched back slightly. "Sorry, I just don't do light."

"I noticed, you've got a hood up anyway so I wouldn't see your face," Jared said. Kaitlin sighed before stepping foreword slowly, the hood still covering her face. The coat was tight around her body, showing off her curves to Jared who noticed these very happily in his 16-year-old mind. "There, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Kaitlin was surprised at herself for coming out of her 'shell' but she doubted she would have done it for anyone other than this handsome boy with the friendly smile and kind face. She didn't think he'd even flinch if she showed him the scars, well not after a while anyway.

The others from Poole were going but needed to leave someone here to represent them in the 'council' that was being set up, Kaitlin agreed to stay for Poole. So she was given a bed in the main sleeping area, a little way from Jared's. Still she wore the hood up always, making most people around her uncomfortable.

"Just try wearing it down, honestly it won't be that bad," Jared pleaded with her one day as they walked around on the surface. The two were good friends now and if she wasn't so-paranoid about removing her hood they may have even been something more.

"Jared, I can't wear it down, never," Kaitlin said sadly. Jared lifted a hand and reached for her face, looking saddened as she moved away.

"Kaitlin, please trust me," Jared said quietly. Kaitlin whispered that she did and his hand reached under the hood and cupped her cheek. He could feel the layers of scar tissue under his palm, her whole body shaking as she watched his face as he moved his hand to her neck, then the back of her head before pulling her closer until their lips met.

The kiss was short and sweet yet still left Kaitlin gasping for breath. She'd only been kissed once in her life, before the...accident. Before the dragon had scarred her for life. Jared watched her as she calmed down, watching him as he watched her. Then he moved foreward again and pressed his lips to hers, one hand finding her cheek, the other resting on her hip. Her arms wound around his neck and she leaned into him as their lips carressed each others.

"Hey Quinn, look," Alex said nodding to the couple. Quinn smiled at Jared passionatly kissed the hooded girl.

"About time."

Kaitlin moaned as they separated, well they just pulled their heads apart but keeping thier arms twined around each other. Jared smiled at her and then noticed something, her hood had fallen back. Now he studied her facial faures, her hair was deep red almost brown, her eyes blue. The reason she covered up was the large scar from a burn covering her left cheek, half of her lips. Her ear was tattered on the left side yet still she managed to look beautiful .

"You're beautiful," he murmered.

"No I'm not-oh!" she gasped, only now realising her hood was down. Jared stopped her from raising the hood. His fingertips lightly traced around the scar, making her shiver and close her eyes tightly.

"Beautiful," he whispered once more before kissing her again.

After that day Kaitlin hardly wore her hood again, especially when people accepted the scars and the children thought that she had got them in a fight with a dragon(which she won according to them) which was sort of true but she didn't tell them she'd been the 'bait'.

Jared kissed her often now or held her scarred hands, but nothing more. She'd told him at some point that the scars on her face went down the side of her body, stopping on her thigh. He'd yet to see this, but he found the one that traveled down her arm impressive.

"Kaitlin, sleep in my bed tonight," Jared said quietly as they walked to the castle. Kaitlin glanced at him in shock. "Not as in...you know...just let me hold you."

"Only if you promise we will both stay fully clothed," Kaitlin said quietly. Jared agreed, smiling broadly. So they chagned by their own beds into their night clothes (a grey shirt and shorts) before Kaitlin snuck past the other sleepers to his bed. He took her in his arms and kissed her before the two of them settled on the bed. Jared pulled the thin blanket over then both just as the lights around them were extinguished.

"This is nice...warm, I like this," Kaitlin murmured, borrowing closer to his warmth in the cold cave. Jared put his arms around her and kissed her forehead before shutting his eyes. Soon their breathing slowed into unison as they began to dream of each other.

Jared woke at about midnight when everyone else still asleep including the girl in his arms. They'd been sleeping ni the same bed for a week but that was all, sleeping. And every night he wanted to do more, but he didn't want to push her into it. He ran his fingers threw her hair and smiled as she moaned in he sleep and snuggled closer to him.

'One day, one day I'll show you just how beautiful you are,' he thought. She still protested whenever he called her beautiful, blushing and covering her scared cheek with her hand. He moved slightly so that one of his legs was hooked over hers, one hand resting partly on her hip, partly on her bum while the other stroked her hair. He kissed her lips gently but it was still enough to wake her, her eyelids fluttering before her eyes focused on him.

"What time is it?" she asked sleepily.

"Around about midnight," Jared whispered before kissing her again, this time more passionatly. Her arms twined around his neck as he moved over so that he was lying on top of her, spreading her legs apart. It all seemed to be coming natural to them even though they had never done it, neither of them.

As they pulled apart for breath Jared smiled down at her and Kaitlin blushing smiled back before pulling him down for another kiss. Her hands travelled down his shoulders, tracing the muscles on his back as his hands moved to the hem of her shirt and slipped under it.

She moaned against his lips as his hand moved over the scar running down her side and curling around her stomach. His hands moved higher, one over silky smooth skin, one over the scar until they reached her breasts. She pulled apart from him to gasp.

"You are beautiful Kaitlin," he murmered against her lips. Before Kaitlin could object he kissed her again. Now his hands pushed the shirt up and he broke the kiss to pull it of her and drop it to the floor. Her hands pulled his up and he took it off before kissing her again, prissing bare skin to bare skin. "I love you..."

"I love you too Jared..."

Quinn heard the panting and the slight banging of a bed moving into the wall and got up slowly. When he heard two muffled moans he went into the sleeping room and saw Jared and Kaitlin in each others arms, litterally just falling asleep. he smiled to himself and pulled the curtain down to hide their bed from the others.

Kaitlin awoke in the morning still under Jared, still under Jared completely naked and he was in no beter condition. She smiled at the memory of the night and looked at his face, a content exprssion on it from both sleep and what they had done. She playfully bit the skin joining Jareds neck and shoulder to wake him.

"Morning," Kaitlin murmered to him. Jared smiled down at her and kissed er gently. The blanket was saving thier decency from the other waking people and someone had even drawn the curtain around his bed, well it was sort of a curtain but it was made out of reeds.

"Morning," he whispered, before kissing her again. "You don't regret it do you?"

"No Jared, how could I regret something so...perfect," Kaitlin said, pulling him down for another kiss. "We'd better get up, or we'll miss breakfast."

The two dressed, then Jared brushed her hair and tied it back for her. Then they picked up their breakfast and went up to the surface to eat it. While they were eating Quinn came and sat beside them.

"Have a good night last night?" both of them choked on their food and stared at him.

"W-What do you mean Quinn?" Jared stuttered nervously. Quinn smiled.

"I know what you two were up to last night, or didn't you wonder who drew the curtain?" Quinn asked, smiling at them kindly. He clapped his 'son' on the shoulder and moved away, leaving a very embarassed pair of teenagers.

A/N Should I continue this? I love Reign of Fire, especially cute Jared with his startling blue eyes!


End file.
